Aims of This Policy

Aims of This Policy

Haresfield School e-safety policy

OUR SCHOOL AIMS

Haresfield Church of England Primary School provides a secure and creative environment where individuals are valued, nurtured & encouraged to achieve all they can. It is supported by effective partnerships with parents and the community and is underpinned by its Christian ethos.

Aims of this policy

The e-Safety Policy is part of the School Development Plan and relates to other policies including those for ICT, bullying and for child protection.

  • The school will appoint an e-Safety Coordinator. This may be the Designated Senior Lead for child protection as the roles overlap. It is not a technical role.
  • Our e-Safety Policy has been written by the school, building on local authority and government guidance. It has been agreed by senior management and approved by governors.
  • The e-Safety Policy was revised by: Head and staff
  • It was approved by the Governors on: 25th September 2017
  • The next review date is (at least annually): Autumn 2018

Teaching and learning

Why the Internet and digital communications are important

  • The Internet is an essential element in 21st century life for education, business and social interaction. The school has a duty to provide pupils with quality Internet access as part of their learning experience.
  • Internet use is a part of the statutory curriculum and a necessary tool for staff and pupils.

Internet use will enhance learning

  • The school Internet access will be designed expressly for pupil use and will include filtering appropriate to the age of pupils.
  • Pupils will be taught what Internet use is acceptable and what is not and given clear objectives for Internet use.
  • Pupils will be educated in the effective use of the Internet in research, including the skills of knowledge location, retrieval and evaluation
  • Pupils will be shown how to publish and present information to a wider audience.

Pupils will be taught how to evaluate Internet content

  • The school will ensure that the use of Internet derived materials by staff and pupils complies with copyright law.
  • Pupils will be taught the importance of cross-checking information before accepting its accuracy.
  • Pupils will be taught how to report unpleasant internet content e.g. using the Hector Protector safety button.

National Curriculum

From September 2014 schools will be expected to embed e-safety into the new curriculum, specifically the new Computing curriculum.

Key stage 1

  • Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; know where to go for help and support when they have concerns about material on the internet.

Key stage 2

  • Use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
  • Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; know a range of ways to report concerns and inappropriate behaviour

Managing Internet Access

Information system security

  • School ICT systems security will be reviewed regularly.
  • Virus protection will be updated regularly.
  • Security strategies will be discussed with the Local Authority.

E-mail

  • Pupils may only use approved e-mail accounts on the school system.
  • Pupils must immediately tell a teacher if they receive offensive e-mail.
  • In e-mail communication, pupils must not reveal their personal details or those of others, or arrange to meet anyone without specific permission.
  • Incoming e-mail should be treated as suspicious and attachments not opened unless the author is known.
  • The school should consider how e-mail from pupils to external bodies is presented and controlled.
  • The forwarding of chain letters is not permitted.

Published content and the school web site

  • Staff or pupil personal contact information will not be published. The contact details given online should be the school office or nominated school e-mail addresses.
  • The headteacher will take overall editorial responsibility and ensure that content is accurate and appropriate.

Publishing pupil’s images and work

  • Photographs that include pupils will be selected carefully so that individual pupils cannot be identified or their image misused. Consider using group photographs rather than full-face photos of individual children.
  • Pupils’ full names will not be used anywhere on a school Web site or other on-line space, particularly in association with photographs.
  • Written permission from parents or carers will be obtained before photographs of pupils are published on the school Web site.
  • Work can only be published with the permission of the pupil and parents/carers.
  • Pupil image file names will not refer to the pupil by name.
  • Parents should be clearly informed of the school policy on image taking and publishing, both on school and independent electronic repositories

Social networking and personal publishing

  • Although social networking is blocked through the filters the school will monitor and control access to social networking sites, and consider how to educate pupils in their safe use.
  • Newsgroups will be blocked unless a specific use is approved.
  • Pupils will be advised never to give out personal details of any kind which may identify them, their friends or their location.
  • Pupils and parents will be advised that the use of social network spaces outside school brings a range of dangers for primary aged pupils.
  • School staff will never contact or communicate in any way with children through social networking sites or personal e-mail addresses.
  • Pupils will be advised to use nicknames and avatars when using social networking sites.

Managing filtering

  • The school will work with the Gloucestershire CC, SWGFL and Becta to ensure systems to protect pupils are reviewed and improved.
  • If staff or pupils come across unsuitable on-line materials, the site must be reported to the e-Safety Coordinator.
  • Senior staff will ensure that regular checks are made to ensure that the filtering methods selected are appropriate, effective and reasonable.

Managing videoconferencing & webcam use

  • Videoconferencing should use the educational broadband network to ensure quality of service and security.
  • Pupils must ask permission from the supervising teacher before making or answering a videoconference call.
  • Videoconferencing and webcam use will be appropriately supervised for the pupils’ age.

Managing emerging technologies

  • Emerging technologies will be examined for educational benefit and a risk assessment will be carried out before use in school is allowed.
  • The senior leadership team should note that technologies such as mobile phones with wireless Internet access can bypass school filtering systems and present a new route to undesirable material and communications.
  • Mobile phones are not permitted at school. Mobile phones will not be used during lessons or formal school time. The sending of abusive or inappropriate text messages or files by Bluetooth or any other means is forbidden.
  • The use by pupils of cameras in mobile phones will be kept under review.
  • Games machines including the Sony Playstation, Microsoft Xbox and others have Internet access which may not include filtering. Care is required in any use in school or other officially sanctioned location.
  • If available staff will be issued with a school phone where contact with school is required.
  • The appropriate use of Learning Platforms will be discussed as the technology becomes available within the school.
  • The use of the ipad to capture images and videos will be monitored closely by all staff.

Protecting personal data

  • Personal data will be recorded, processed, transferred and made available according to the Data Protection Act 1998. The school will actively work to comply with new GDPR regulations which come into force May 2018.

Policy Decisions

Authorising Internet access

  • All staff must read and sign the ‘Staff Code of Conduct for ICT’ before using any school ICT resource.
  • The school will maintain a current record of all staff and pupils who are granted access to school ICT systems.
  • At Key Stage 1, access to the Internet will be by adult demonstration with directly supervised access to specific, approved on-line materials.
  • Parents will be asked to sign and return a consent form.
  • Any person not directly employed by the school will be asked to sign an ‘acceptable use of school ICT resources’ before being allowed to access the internet from the school site.

Assessing risks

  • The school will take all reasonable precautions to prevent access to inappropriate material. However, due to the international scale and linked nature of Internet content, it is not possible to guarantee that unsuitable material will never appear on a computer connected to the school network. Neither the school nor Gloucestershire CC can accept liability for any material accessed, or any consequences of Internet access.
  • The school should audit ICT use to establish if the e-safety policy is adequate and that the implementation of the e-safety policy is appropriate and effective.

Handling e-safety complaints

  • Complaints of Internet misuse will be dealt with by a senior member of staff.
  • Any complaint about staff misuse must be referred to the headteacher.
  • Complaints of a child protection nature must be dealt with in accordance with school child protection procedures.
  • Pupils and parents will be informed of the complaints procedure (see schools complaints policy)
  • Pupils and parents will be informed of consequences for pupils misusing the Internet.
  • Discussions will be held with the Police Youth Crime Reduction Officer to establish procedures for handling potentially illegal issues.

Haresfield School e-safety policy

Community use of the Internet

  • The school will liaise with local organisations to establish a common approach to e-safety.

Communications Policy

Introducing the e-safety policy to pupils

  • e-Safety rules will be posted in all rooms where computers are used and discussed with pupils regularly.
  • Pupils will be informed that network and Internet use will be monitored and appropriately followed up.
  • A programme of training in e-Safety will be developed based on the materials from the DCSF, Glos CC and BECTA.
  • e-Safety training will be embedded within the ICT scheme of work or the Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum.

Staff and the e-Safety policy

  • All staff will be given the School e-Safety Policy and its importance explained.
  • Staff must be informed that network and Internet traffic can be monitored and traced to the individual user.
  • Staff that manage filtering systems or monitor ICT use will be supervised by senior management and work to clear procedures for reporting issues.
  • Staff will always use a child friendly safe search engine when accessing the web with pupils such as Ask Jeeves for kids; Yahooligans; CBBC Search; Kidsclick . (Not Google unless supervised in class 4).

Enlisting parents’ and carers’ support

  • Parents’ and carers’ attention will be drawn to the School e-Safety Policy in newsletters, the school brochure and on the school Web site.
  • The school will maintain a list of e-safety resources for parents/carers.
  • The school will ask all new parents to sign the parent /pupil agreement when they register their child with the school.

Monitoring and Evaluating

This policy will be monitored and evaluated by the Head, Senior Management team and the Governors through the Curriculum Committee.

Date of policySept 2017 reviewed annually Next review Sept 2018

Signed ………………………………(Head)

Haresfield School e-safety policy

Other Policies linked to this policy

Child Protection Policy

Anti-Bullying Policy

Racial Equality and cultural Diversity Policy

Confidentiality

Behaviour Policy

E- Safety Policy

Haresfield School e-safety policy

Haresfield School e-safety policy

Appendix 2: Useful resources for teachers

BBC Stay Safe

Becta

Chat Danger

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre www.ceop.gov.uk/

Childnet

Cyber Café

Digizen

Kent e-Safety Policy and Guidance, Posters etc

Kidsmart

Gloucestershire Police – e-Safety

Think U Know

Safer Children in the Digital World www.dfes.gov.uk/byronreview/

Alan MacKensie – e-safety adviser (online safety agazine & updates Ditto

Appendix 3: Useful resources for parents

Care for the family

Childnet International "Know It All" CD http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk

Family Online Safe Institute

Internet Watch Foundation

Kent leaflet for parents: Children, ICT & e-Safety

Parents Centre www.parentscentre.gov.uk

Internet Safety Zone